The Portland daily press., 1887-12-13
SOME TALK OF THE DAY.
What a Practical Farmer Tells the
Press About Commercial Union
The Latest Railroad Talk In Eastern
Maine.
some Practical Observations on
Questions OF the Hour.

There is one large class Of men at least, In
Maine, who do not think much Of the COM
mercial union idea. The farmers who know
the prices Of agricultural productions on this
side Of the line and on the other, understand
that the advantages win be nearly all on one
side. Mr I. G. Libby, Of Burnham, who
has very extensive acquaintance with the
farmers both Of Maine and New Brunswick,
enlightened PRESS man on this subject
few days ago. 81 do now, and have for
years." said Mr.. Libby, bought live stock
and farm products extensively in Maine and
New Brunswick. Much Of my trading has
been along the frontier line between Aroos-
took and Upper New Brunswick. Now let
me give you a few facts. For lambs am
obliged TO pay fifty cents more apiece In
Aroostook county than do right across the
line In New Brunswick. For horses pay
from twenty-five TO fifty dollars each more In
Maine than do In New Brunswick. Hay Is
two dollars ton cheaper in the Provinces
than in our own State, and wool Is from tiye
to ten cents pound cheaper. These differ
ences in price show how much advantage the
tariff Is to the farmers of Maine; and be-
lieve the farmers are a class that ought TO be
considered in this matter. They are the
backbone OF the State, though they do not
make quite so much noise as some other
classes. will give you little Illustration
TO show you how much better of a farmer Is
in Maine than in New Brunswick. know
two brothers up north, who live right on the
boundary line Each has a farm Of three
hundred acres, In good state Of cultivation
with good buildings. One establishment Is
as good as the other so far as anything that
pertains to the farms themselves. But one
Of the farms Is In New Brunswick and the
other In Maine. The farm In New Bruins
wick is for sale at $1,000, with no buyers;
the brother In Maine refuses $1,000 for his
farm. The reason Is that the brother in
Maine can sell his farm products for good
prices, while the brother In New Brunswick
cannot. He must pay a tariff on what he
sends into Maine; or as he says his products
have to be tolled TO help carry on his broth
over there are poor A dollar looks as big as
a cart wheel TO one Of them. You have no
idea what amount Of work you can get one
Of them to do for quarter Of a dollar. In
Maine here, II have an animal ten miles
away that must be driven up to my drove,
boy, II one can be got TO go at all, will charge
dollar or two for driving that animal In.
In New Brunswick there are plenty Of boys
who will do the job for ten cents. No sir,
we don't want reciprocity; II would be the
height Of folly"
Mr.. Libby. who, with several other busi-
ness men in Eastern Maine, Is extensively
engaged in dealing in wool, says that he
knew the purpcrt Of the Presidents mes
sage through the wo0fmasset almost as soon
as he knew 1t through the papsss
The case Of tuberculosis which DIR. Bailey
attended to In Turner was the second In
three months. This shows that the disease
is pretty well In hand in Maine. An inter-
estlng fact about the Turner case, which by
the way was an exceedingly bad one, was
that the COW was owned until recently by
Hon. z. A. Gilbert, who has so persistently
opposed the idea that anything Is to be
feared from tuberculosis. This is the second
animal afflicted that has been traced to his
herd, the first having been killed some time
ago in York county. Should Mr.. Gilbert find
that he has tuberculosis In his own herd ne
may suffer with more equanimity the state
to go on killing diseased animals and paying
for them. But It Is to be hoped that the
necessity will not arise for killing any large
herds, this year at least. Should the dis
ease get into valuable blooded herd. like
the herds Of Hall Burleigh or Governor Bod
well, for instance, it might wipe out the en-
tire appropriation for a year II the State
should have to kill the animals and make
the usual allowance which Is $500 head
for blooded stock. Already this year the
Cattle Commission Is rather short for
two years. 5000 year. But the Commits
sion have been obliged to use S11O0 Of this
years money TO settle bills OF the old COM
mission, leaving bnt S1400 for this year. II
six glandered horses belonging to Cunning
ham, Of Oldtown, which were killed.
Chambers, which Is a terrible dis
disease for men as we'll as horses, requires
much attention from Dr. Baily. Several Of
the bronehos that have been brought here
from the West and sold out at auction have
been found afflicted with this disease and
killed. DR.. Bailey says there will be NO
more broncho sales in Maine, on this ac-
count. The Cattle Commissioner are GER
tain Of that. Maine cannot afford to pay for
dead broneh0s. In Illinois, where the State
appropriates $4,000 for killing diseased
animals and stamping our contagion, 1t
might DC done.
Business Is booming in Maine," said a
prominent contractor who is doing work to
the aggregate Of two hundred thousand dol
lars. to PRESS man the other day. 1--WE
have eight large jobs In different parts Of
Maine. and we are badly bothered to get
men. And many Of the men We do get are
not such as we really want. Too few young
men nowadays learn TO be thorough
mechanics. Carpenters that are first class
wOTkmen at their trades are scarce In Maine.
The young men a0n't spend time enough
learning their trades.
The cities and towns Of Maine have not
as a rule been very fortunate In their rail-
road investments, but Bangor begins 10 feel
this year that its case Is exceptional. The
Bangor & Piseataquis report for the last
year shows that 1t has been first class prop
erty for the city. The earnings Of the road
have paid all Its fixed charges, allowed for
necessary repairs and improvements, and
left in the treasury handsome surplus OF
ten thousand dollars. This prosperity Is
due to the advent Of the Canadian Pacific
and to prudent and careful management. IL
In other years, when trains shall be finally
run to the West via Greenville, the connec-
tlon with the great Canadian road shall con-
tinue as profitable as II promises to be. Ban
gor may not be so willing to sell her railroad
property as she has been heretofore.
The people Of Monson have given up the
idea Of seeing a railroad extended from
Hartland through their town to Moosehead
Lake. But ]. F. Sprague. Esq, who had a
great part in getting from the Legislature
the charters that have made line through
Monson to the Lake possible at ALL says that
they have by no means given up the idea Of
having a road through their village. The
proposed extension OF the Maine Central
from Dexter might 90 either TO Dover or
Gu.lford. and there is great rivalry in Piscat-
aquis county over this very question Of des-
tination. The Monson people are using all
their energies to have the road come to Gull
\ ford. Should 1t come there their charter
would allow them to extend the MOnson
railroad to Guilford, and they already have o
charter that would allow an extension Of the
other end Of their road to MOosehead Lake.
Thus there could be an independent line
from Dexter to MOosehead Lake VIA Gull
ford and MonsOn, and the MOnson people
think that this will be Just what the Maine
Central will want. Should the extension go
from Dexter to Dover the Maine Central
would depend on the Piscataquis road for
its connection with the Lake. But the rela-
ti0ns of the two roads are pleasant, and such
a connection Is not improbable. With live
and energetic town like MonsOn on one side,
and Dover and FoxerOft on the other the
fight will be as doubtful as II Is interesting.
At present the MonsOn railroad Is OF a mar
row guage, but 1t Is estimated that It could
be widened for fifty thousand dollars. The
road is about six miles long
Installation at AIRED.
Fraternal Lodge. +. & A. NJ, No. IS, Of Al
fred village, held public installation services
on Saturday evening last followed by an
mai al Lad